This is a hanging scroll depicting the episode of Kobo Daishi Kukai's Shajin-ga-take Zenjo (self-sacrificing cliff meditation). I believe it is from the late Showa period, and the wooden box is inscribed with "Portrait of Kobo Daishi," making it a very valuable item. ◎Scroll: Approximately 62.5cm tall, 24.5cm wide ◎Wooden Box: 29.5cm tall, 4.9cm wide, 4.5cm deep How about it for those who have experience with the Shikoku Pilgrimage, those of the Shingon sect, or fans of Kobo Daishi? The inner sanctuary of Shusshakaji Temple, the 73rd temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, "Shajin-ga-take Zenjo," is located on the mountainside of Gaigashizan. The place where you climb a steep cliff from this temple is called "Shajin-ga-take." In the old days, when Kobo Daishi Kukai (childhood name: Mao) was seven years old, he made a great vow to save the world. Then, he climbed Gaigashizan, the highest of the five mountains (Koshikiyama, Fudenoyama, Gaigashizan, Nakayama, and Kajo-zan) in Tado County, Sanuki Province (present-day Zentsuji City), and, praying to the Buddhas of the three existences (past, present, and future) and the Bodhisattvas of the ten directions, "I wish to enter the Buddhist teachings and save all sentient beings. If my wish is fulfilled, O Shakyamuni Buddha, please appear and give proof of it. If it is not fulfilled, I will give up my life and offer this body to the Buddhas." He said this and leaped from the top of a precipitous cliff into the valley where even white clouds were lost. Then, a purple cloud arose, and within it, Shakyamuni Buddha, radiating great light and seated on a lotus flower of a hundred treasures, appeared, and a celestial maiden wearing a feathered robe descended and caught Mao (Kobo Daishi Kukai), saying, "Attain Buddhahood in this lifetime." Kobo Daishi Kukai, in gratitude for this mysterious and wondrous spiritual light of the Buddha, and to commemorate the spiritual efficacy forever, and to connect the people of the world with the Buddha's connection, built a temple on Shajin-ga-take and enshrined the principal image of Shakyamuni Buddha. After that, this place became a sacred site of self-sacrificing vows and a place of faith for many good men and women.